NTM

After hearing about our computer dying, one our good friends email us and asked us a few questions about how much computers actually play a role in learning the Morop language.  I thought he had some very good questions and here is my attempt to answer them one by one.

Language study is never limited to our computers.  In fact, one of the most important things we can do to learn language is to get out and be with the people.  When we set out to learn a language with NTM, it is not just the language we are interested in, it is the culture too.  Because our goal is to one present the Gospel to the Morop, we need an in-depth understanding of the way they act and the underlying reasons for it.  For example, when it has been raining for days or weeks without stopping, they will heat up a rock in their fire pit and then throw it outside so that the steam with rise to the clouds and the rain with stop.  Now this can be as simple as them thinking that steam can stop rain, or it can have a more complex spiritual side to it in which they are appeasing some spirit or god.  The only way for us to find out is talk to them about it in Morop and the only way for me to know about it is to be out with them.

Now computers are not completely useless.  We do need computer for some of our language learning activities.  Let’s take the example from above with the stone.  When I am at a person’s home and something like this happens, I begin taking pictures.  After they are done I will then ask them to tell me what they did in Morop.  Since I am in the 2nd of 4 stages of language and culture learning, I don’t understand much of what they are saying.  So I will go home and put the pictures and text into a program called CLAware (Culture and Language Acquisition Software).  This was developed and is currently maintained by NTM.  With those pictures I will have my culture and language helper do exercises with me so that I first learn the nouns of that situation, like rock, fire pit, steam, etc.  Then I will move on and have him tell me the verbs like to heat up, throw, raise, etc.  Once I have learn those little phrases, I will then move on the to text that I got while I was at the house and begin to transcribe it which often takes a long time.  This will give me the sentence structure I need to speak good proper Morop as well as the intonation of the language.

Computers are mainly used for processing information, review and linguistic work.  The things we experience in the everyday life of a Morop, are the best way to learning things.  But just like anything else, we need to review those things, which is where computers come in.  To give you an idea, I review about 4-5 hours a day and input things into the computer for about a half hour, so a good chuck of my day is at the computer.

The most useful tool we have is the computer.  If it is used properly as a tool and not a crutch, it will be your greatest asset.  If it becomes a crutch, it will be come the biggest hinderance to learning language.  In fact, since I enjoy computers and office work so much, I try to spend one day just out with the people and not in the office.  I am thinking of my time last week in which I did it and it was really one of the most profitable days of language I had that week.  Now, I can’t do that everyday, but getting out with the people about 20 hours a week with give you more than enough material to review when are in the office without the computer becoming a crutch.

Well, I hope that shed some light on how computers play a role in language learning.

On a positive note, I was able to get my computer up and running this morning.  I had to reformat the hard drive 3 times and finally it started working.  I am thinking it is because my battery has gone completely dead recently and we keep forgetting to turn off my computer when we switch from generator power to our inverter.  My mom did buy us a battery that will be here on our next supply flight in 1 week.  So with a little caution given this week, maybe we have not seen the end of my MacBook Pro!

Missionaries to the Morop,

Justin, Becky, Ethan and Derek Burt